Conductive Polymer-based Nanoparticles for Laser-mediated Photothermal Ablation of Cancer: Synthesis, Characterization, and in vitro Evaluation
Date
2017-01
Authors
Cantu, Travis
Walsh, Kyle
Pattani, Varun P.
Moy, Austin J.
Tunnell, James
Irvin, Jennifer A.
Betancourt, Tania
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Dove Press
Abstract
Laser-mediated photothermal ablation of cancer cells aided by photothermal agents is a promising strategy for localized, externally controlled cancer treatment. We report the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of conductive polymeric nanoparticles (CPNPs) of poly(diethyl-4,4'-{[2,5-bis(2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-1,4-phenylene] bis(oxy)}dibutanoate) (P1) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) stabilized with 4-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) as photothermal ablation agents. The nanoparticles were prepared by oxidative-emulsion polymerization, yielding stable aqueous suspensions of spherical particles of <100 nm diameter as determined by dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy. Both types of nanoparticles show strong absorption of light in the near infrared region, with absorption peaks at 780 nm for P1 and 750 nm for PEDOT, as well as high photothermal conversion efficiencies (~50%), that is higher than commercially available gold-based photothermal ablation agents. The nanoparticles show significant photostability as determined by their ability to achieve consistent temperatures and to maintain their morphology upon repeated cycles of laser irradiation. In vitro studies in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells demonstrate the cytocompatibility of the CPNPs and their ability to mediate complete cancer cell ablation upon irradiation with an 808-nm laser, thereby establishing the potential of these systems as agents for laser-induced photothermal therapy.
Description
Keywords
PEDOT, breast cancer, conductive polymers, emulsion polymerization, nanomedicine, nanoparticles, photothermal ablation, photothermal conversion efficiency, MDA-MB-231, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Citation
Cantu, T., Walsh, K., Pattani, V. P., Moy, A. J., Tunnell, J. W., Irvin, J. A., & Betancourt, T. (2017). Conductive polymer-based nanoparticles for laser-mediated photothermal ablation of cancer: synthesis, characterization, and in vitro evaluation. International Journal of Nanomedicine, 12, pp. 615-632.
Rights
Rights Holder
© 2017 Cantu et al.
Rights License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.